A month shy of her 113th birthday, the oldest person in Canada is sharing some of her well-earned wisdom.
The country’s oldest living woman, Margaret Romans, was born in Latvia in 1912 and moved to Montreal in 1947 and says she’s thankful to be here. What keeps her going? Gratitude, curiosity, and always looking forward, she says.
“I say thank you God for bringing me and my family to this good country,” she told Motorcycle accident toronto today in an interview on Tuesday at her seniors’ residence.
Romans recalls only good memories from her life back in Latvia until the Soviet occupation in the 1940s. That’s when she and her late husband left for Canada — one of her fondest memories, she says.
Once in Canada, she worked as a community art teacher at a YMCA in Montreal and her husband, Heinrich Romans, worked as an engineer. Her family says her love for teaching and thirst for knowledge are still her strongest traits.
The 112-year-old’s grand nephew, Juris Terauds, told Global she’s still very interested in knowing what’s going on in her community, her country and around the world. He said his great aunt is always looking forward to tomorrow.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“Whether it’s with us, the family, the kids or friends,” he said, “or even what’s going on in the news. She can’t read like she used to, so she listens to the radio. But she’s always looking to know what’s coming up.”
Romans’ advice on how to live a long life is simple: be curious about the world around you.
Her advice to younger generations is to never hold on to a grudge, and says learning is the first step to understanding.
“Study, study and study. Learn, learn and learn. What you have in your head, no one can take that away from you,” she said.
She plans to celebrate her 113th birthday next month, on March 16, with friends and family. She says she’ll toast to another year with her favourite drink, a classic martini.
For the full story, watch the video above.
© 2025 Motorcycle accident toronto today, Toronto Car Accident News.